Tens of thousands of starlings start their murmuration, with Criffel mountain in the background, as dusk falls near Gretna Green on the England and Scotland border. The reason for the beautiful spectacle is not definitively known, with theories ranging from a defense mechanism against predators to attracting more birds to join their roost.

Pink-footed geese take off to feed from Montrose Basin on Wednesday in Montrose, Scotland. Staff and volunteers at the Scottish Wildlife Trust have recorded more than 78,000 geese arriving to spend the winter in the reserve, eclipsing a previous record set in 2010

Policemen and volunteers release eagle owls after their recovery from injury, in Cangzhou, Hebei province in China. About 36 of these injured rare birds were released back into the wild after receiving treatment for their injuries, according to local media

A warbler is weighed at a ringing hut on a private reserve in East Sussex, Rye, UK. The British Trust for Ornithology is in the process of recording migrating hirundines and other birds at the reserve. Hirundines comprise of Sand Martins, House Martins and Swallows, all of which roost in high numbers on the reserve over summer before continuing their migratory route back to Africa. The information gathered, including age, weight and sex, allows the BTO to monitor long-term population and global migration patterns, which is important for conservation